Storage tank



G. T. HORTON Dec. 2, 1947.

STORAGE TANK Filed Feb. 9. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l /5 Q0 6 1 2% i h/ G. T. HORTON Dec. 2, 1947.

s'romes TANK- Filed Feb. 9. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1947 STORAGE TANK George T. Horton, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a corporation of Illinois Application February 9, 1944, Serial No. 521,599

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a storage tank and more particularly to a generally cylindrical storage vessel which is peripherally formed from 'a plurality of courses of metal sheets joined at their adjacent edges, and in which at least some of the courses and particularly the lower courses are made up of a pluralityof conical segments intersecting with adjacent conical segment on a predetermined surface of revolution about the vertical axis of the tank.

In storage vessels of this form I have found it desirable to transmit the radially outward horizontal components of the scallop stresses to the roof or bottom of the vessel, and, in the embodiment of the invention here described, this is accomplished by connecting roof supporting posts with the intersection of the scallops. This may be accomplished in a number of ways and is illustrated in two forms. In one form the the scallop intersection is connected to the top of the post by a tie rod and to the bottom of the post by another tie rod. In the second form the scallop intersection is provided with a partial radial diaphragm connecting it with the bottom of the vessel and with the bottom of the post, and the top of the post is connected to the diaphragm by a tie member.

In this manner the horizontal components of the tie stresses are transmitted to the roof and bottom and the column withstands the vertical components of the tie stresses.

. of curvature of which progressively changes.

In Figures 1 and 2 the storage vessel l comprises a top H, a bottom i2, and side walls l3. Roof supporting posts l4 and I5 are provided at suitably spaced intervals. Posts l5 are spaced radially inwardly from the intersection I! of the scallops l6 and the posts are firmly secured to the bottom I 2 at the point i8 and to the top H at the point I9.

The side walls of the vessel are made up of a plurality of courses 20 formed from sheets of metal secured to each other at their adjacent edges. The upper courses are circular in outline but the courses below the point 25 are diminishing radius of curvature.

The points of revolution determining the seallops are so selected that the lines of intersection are essentially vertical in both projections, which results in having the outermost portion of the scallop form the outward bulge 22, shown in Figure 2. This contrasts with the form shown in Figure 4 in which the lines of vertical intersec-- tion are vertical only in one projection, whereas the outer line of the scallops is vertical.

A triangular girder 23 is welded or otherwise secured to the intersection H to provide a suitable means of securing the tie members. The tie members comprise the tie rod 2'4 which is secured to the top IQ of the post l5 and to the girder 23, and the tie rod 25 which is similarly secured to the bottom l8 of the post l5 and to the girder 23. As shown, the tie rods are joined to the girder almost immediately adjacent each other, but this is not essential. The sketch shows the ties as meeting at a distance /3-h above the tank bottom at which elevation is the controid of the radially outward horizontal components of the scallop stresses. This has certain advantages but separation of the points of attachment of the ties to the girder may be advantageous in some cases because it reduces the maximum bending moment in the girder.

, It is of course understood that the ties are se-,

cured directly or indirectly to the roof and bottom, respectively, sufliciently to transmit the horizontal components of the tie stresses thereto.

The posts I5 are of course adapted to withstand the additional vertical stresses imparted by the tie members.

In Figures 3 and 4 the storage vessel H0 comprises a roof Hi, a bottom H2, side walls H3, and roof supporting posts I I4 and H5. The lower portion of the side walls is made up of the scallops H6, the radius of curvature of which decreases downwardly from the point l2! and the center of curvature of which is progressively moved to provide the inwardly sloping lines of intersection H1. The posts H5 are joined at the bottom I I8 to the bottom of the tank, and at the top H9 to the top of the tank. A tie rod I24 is secured at one end to the top H9 of the post H5, and at the other to the tie plate I 25. This tie plate, which is generally triangular in form, at one edge is secured to the line of intersection H1. The bottom edge of the tie plate is secured 3 to the bottom of the tank, and the projection I26 of the third side of the triangle is welded to the post H5.

It will be noted that in the 'form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the scallops intersect essentially at the periphery of a circular cylinder, whereas in the form shown in Figures 3 and 4 the scallops intersect essentially on the periphery of a circular cone. The deviation from a cylinder is, however, very slight and the vessel is still essentially cylindrical.

The foregoing detailed description is given for 1 intermediate of its ends with the top and bottom,

respectively, of one of said posts, one of said tie members being also secured to-the roof of the vessel and the other to the bottom of the vessel, whereby radial horizontal components of the scallop stresses are transmitted to the bottom and top of the vessel andvertical components of the stresses in the tie members are transmitted to the post.

2. A storage vesselas set forth in claim 1, in which both of the tie members are tie rods.

3. A storage vessel as set forth in claim 1, in which the tie member between the scallop intersection and top of the post is a tie rod.

4. A storage vessel as set forth in claim 1, in which the tie member between the scallop intersection and top of the post is a tie rod, and the tie member to the bottom of the post is a diaphragm interconnecting the post, the scallop intersection, and the bottom of the vessel.

5. In a generally cylindrical storage vessel having top, bottom, and side walls, and in which a lower portion of the side walls is formed of a ring of intersecting scallops and in which the upper portion of the side walls is circular in horizontal cross-section, a plurality of posts connecting the top and bottom of the vessel, 2. vertical girder secured to each scallop intersection and to the bottom of the vessel, a tie rod connecting the top of the vessel and the top of a post to each of said girders, and a tie rod connecting the bottom of the vessel and the bottom of a post to each of said girders, said tie rods substantially meeting at a point above the bottom which is approximately one-third the height of the girders.

6. In a generally cylindrical sheet metal storage vessel comprising a bottom, a top, and side walls connecting said top and bottom, with said side wells having their lower portions formed of a ring of intersecting scallops that are concave on their inner surfaces, a plurality of posts extending between the top and bottom of the vessel and spaced inwardly from the side walls, and tie members connecting each intersection of adjacent scallops intermediate the ends of said intersection with the top and the bottom, respectively, of one of said posts, with at least the top tie member being a substantially straight tie-rod arranged at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

7. The storage vessel of claim 6 wherein each tie member is a substantially straight tie rod arranged at an angle to the horizontal.

8. The storage vessel of claim 6 wherein the top tie member is a tie rod and the bottom tie member is a diaphragm interconnecting the post, the scallop intersection, and the bottom of the vessel, and the tie a rod is fastened to said diaphragm.

9. In a generally cylindrical sheet metal storage vessel comprising a bottom, a top, and side walls connecting said top and bottom, with said side walls having their lower portions formed of a ring of intersecting scallops that are concave on their inner surfaces, a plurality of posts extending between the top and bottom of the vessel and spaced inwardly from the side walls, a vertical radial girder attached to each scallop intersection and to the bottom of the vessel, a tie rod connecting the top of the vessel and the top of a post to each of said girders, and a tie rod connecting the bottom of the vessel and the bottom of a post to each of said girders, said tie rods being attached to the girder intermediate the ends of the girder and being arranged at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

10. The vessel of claim 9 wherein the tie rodsare attached to the girder at substantially a common point.

GEORGE T. HORTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,864,759 Pritchard June 28, 1932 2,296,414 Albrecht Sept. 22, 1942 720,924 Intze Feb. 17, 1903 1,668,179 Williams May 1, 1928 2,095,256 Horton Oct. 12, 1937 730,344 Clayton June 9, 1903 2,012,964 Horton Sept. 3, 1935 1,911,058 Bushnell May 23, 1933 1,864,931 Pritchard June 28, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 506,782 Great Britain June 5, 1939 242,141 Germany Dec. 22, 1911 

